OTheRSidE
by Reiya Inc
Summary: ...misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows... an almost-love story; Shika/Ino, Shika/Temari


Disclaimers: The Naruto franchise doesn't belong to me

Disclaimers: The Naruto franchise doesn't belong to me. Title comes from the Red Hot Chili Peppers song.

Warnings: Adult situations, language, drug use and teenagers behaving badly.

I would like to give a shout-out here, I don't usually do this, but I really want to recognize a terrific friend, Narrizan. Thank you for being such an encouraging voice, no matter the category, and feeding my ego. You're the best 

A/N:The Shika/Ino pairing is eating my brain right now. I can't avoid writing about it.

I wanted to write something a little more normal than last time, so I settled on a drabble of angsty teen romance. sweatdrops I got a weird burst of inspiration from the title song too, so I'm sure you'll see influences of that. I'll warn you, I can't write normal stories or multi-chaptered ones for the life of me, so we'll see how this goes.

Now, without further ado, enjoy!

x.x.x.x.x.x.

_OTheRSidE_

The sun beat callously down upon the quarter mile track as Shikamaru made his sixth lap around the oval. He inhaled the choking smell of asphalt and let it out slowly. Drops of sweat rolled down his face, into his eyes; he wiped them away angrily.

He hated running. He really hated running on tracks, and he especially _hated_ running on a track in the heat of the day. Shikamaru shot a death glare at Asuma, who was enjoying a cigarette on the sidelines. Him and his fucking training…

"Hey, Shikamaru!" A familiar voice shouted behind him, "Didya hear the news?" Naruto ran up beside him, keeping in step with his pace.

"No. What's going on?"

"Kiba's folks are gone for the weekend and there's going to be this _huge_ party at his place tonight!" Naruto spilled out with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"I've got plans…"

"Oh, come on, Shika. Everybody's going to be there, all the hot chicks."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes; he and Naruto had varying opinions of 'hot chicks'.

"I don't know Naruto… if my parent's find out…"

"Dude, oldest trick in the book, just say you're staying the night at Chouji's or something."

"NARUTO, GET OFF THE TRACK; WE'RE TRAINING!" Asuma shouted at the blonde boy, he waved in response.

Shikamaru sighed, "What time?"

Naruto laughed, "It's at nine. See you there." He broke away and jogged off the track.

"I didn't say I'd be there!" Shikamaru yelled after him.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

The news of Kiba's party spread like wildfire and by lunch almost every genin at the academy knew about it. Or at least, every genin who was _somebody_. Shikamaru took his tray of food and sat in his usual spot at the long, rectangular lunch table. Chouji sat next to him and immediately broke open his bag of goldfish crackers.

"You're going to the party, right?"

"… I'm not really feeling it."

"But, everyone's going to be there." He ate a handful of smiling orange goldfish.

"I know." Shikamaru stirred the gravy on his mashed potatoes indolently, making an unappetizing sallow paste.

"It'll be fun. You'll like it."

"I don't know, Chouji. It's just going to be a bunch of people I don't really care about, talking shit and acting the fool all night long." He rearranged his chicken fingers to make a frowning face, "It's going to be a waste of time."

"Not completely. Shino told Kiba he could hook him up the drinks, so at least if you go and get smashed, you'll have a good time."

Shikamaru tossed it around in his head. It's not that he was completely anti-social or anything, but these kinds of parties usually ended with him as the only sober one to break up fights, clear away broken glass and keep an out of control Naruto and/or Kiba in check. But there would be a lot more people there, he could afford to let go and have somebody else be the responsible one.

"… and he does have a pool in his backyard. Drunken pool party, you can't say that it doesn't sound like a blast." Chouji chimed in, like a little fiend on his shoulder.

"Hey," A voice called from the girl's end of the table. The two boys turned their heads.

"Are you guys talking about the party at Kiba's?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah."

She smiled and turned to the girls she was sitting with; Sakura and Ino smiled impishly back. The three picked up their trays and moved closer.

"Sorry, but we happened to overhear 'drunken pool party'." Tenten explained.

"So, there's definitely going to be alcohol?" Sakura leaned forward co-conspiratorially.

Chouji nodded.

"I hope he'll have Patrón, that's my favorite." Ino's eyes widened and Tenten laughed at her.

"Actually, Shino was the one bringing it all and I think he could only get a hold of beer, no hard liquor. Sorry." Chouji shrugged.

"Awww, that's too bad. But, I guess beer's better than nothing." Ino pouted.

"I could get some." Shikamaru spoke up suddenly, everyone turned to him in surprise. "I- I mean, my dad's got a liquor cabinet I could spring and there's probably some Patrón in it."

He looked down at his plate, trying to play it off nonchalantly. Like breaking into his dad's supply of liquor was an everyday occurrence. Yeah, no sweat.

"Really? That would be so awesome, Shikamaru." Ino beamed at him, "You're really great."

Shikamaru tried not to smile back.

"All right then, we'll see you guys later."

The girls collected their lunch trays and waved goodbye.

Shikamaru chewed his bottom lip.

"So that's how it's going to be? I ask you to come and you're all, 'Nahhhh, I don't wanna.' And then Ino says she's going and all of a sudden you're bringing drinks. Bros before hos, Shika, you just broke the cardinal rule." Chouji feigned hurt.

"It's not like that." Shikamaru buried his face in his hands, "I always do stupid things around her. I hate it."

"I think it's funny."

"I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of my misery. I really don't want to go to that party."

"You're committed now." Chouji chomped on a french fry, "Just go and have a few drinks, loosen up and tell Ino how you feel."

"She already knows. And she thinks I'm a loser." He laid his head down on the table.

"No she doesn't. I didn't know until you told me and I'm your best friend. You're her teammate and the smartest kid in school; she doesn't think you're a loser. Stop acting so melodramatic." Chouji moved on to dessert.

He sighed.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

As the day drew on, Shikamaru managed to avoid all conversations dealing with the subject of Kiba's party and conversations with Ino in general. Maybe he could still get out of this. If he contracted some fatal disease or got hit by a car…

Shikamaru shook his head; Ino was expecting him to be there. This could be a chance at being more than just a teammate or friend to Ino. He might not have the conceited confidence of Neji on his side, but he could fake it. In his head he ran through a hundred scenarios of how he'd meet her at the party and give her the Patrón. He decided the best course of action was to wait until she had a few shots and then ask her if she wanted to go out for coffee sometime. That was neutral, going out for coffee with a girl. Could be a date, could be just going out with a classmate for coffee.

He glanced in her direction. She sat cross-legged, watching the teacher and twisting a finger in her hair. Every now and then Sakura would discreetly hand her a note and she'd jot something down and pass it back. There was something about her that was different from the other girls. It wasn't just her looks, although, she was gorgeous. Long, blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, heart-shaped face. She was classically beautiful and lithe with almost angelic features. He noticed that the first day they were teamed up. She was pretty smart too, when she wanted to be. During training, she never let the team down; she always pushed herself, unafraid to take risks. Shikamaru respected her for that.

She was a good teammate, even if she did nag at him and Chouji for being lazy. But it was getting harder for him to train one-on-one with her like they used to. She was so… distracting…

x.x.x.x.x.x.

"How was your day today?" His mother greeted as he entered the house.

"Not bad."

"That's good." She continued ironing shirts in the living room.

"Mom, Chouji invited me over, is it okay if I stay the night?" He put on his poker face.

"Sure, honey, what time will you be back tomorrow?"

"Around noon, probably."

"All right. Be sure to say bye to your father before you go."

"Okay."

He went into his room and waited for the sound of his mother making dinner in the kitchen. As soon as he was sure she was busy with preparations he sneaked out of his room to the end of the hall and tiptoed down the stairs, carefully skipping the creaky third step.

Once in the basement he hit the light and walked into his father's office. Swiping two paperclips from the desk he bent one into and 'R' shape and the other into a tension wrench and approached the cabinet behind the desk. Shikamaru swallowed; never before had he attempted this. If he was caught, it would mean certain death. But he had to be brave, this was for Ino. He would not fail.

Kneeling, he jammed the tension wrench into the bottom of the keyhole and put pressure on it in a clockwise direction, then he inserted the pick into the top of the keyhole. He wiggled the top one until he found the pins and pushed them down. The door unlocked and Shikamaru opened it. Scanning the selection, he quickly found what he was looking for. A 750 ml bottle of 80 proof Patrón Añejo tequila gleamed at him. He picked it up solemnly and moved some of the bottles to cover its absence. Twice as cautious he climbed the stairs, waiting at the last step to ensure his mother was still in the kitchen. She was.

He went into his room, packed a fake overnight bag and stashed the bottle at the bottom of it. There's no way his dad would notice it was missing; that cabinet had been packed. And if he ever did get in trouble for this, it would be worth it, he told himself.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

Later, after he ate some dinner with his parents, he changed into a pair of jeans and a black Fenix guitar shirt and put on his habitual silver earrings. Pulling his hair back, he fastened it with a black rubber band and checked himself out in the mirror. He didn't want to look like he _tried_ to dress for the party.

Shikamaru picked up his phone and dialed Chouji. A couple of rings went by before his friend picked up.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving now. I'll meet you by the soba noodle stand; don't chicken out, Shikamaru."

"I won't."

x.x.x.x.x.x.

"What's in the bag?" Chouji met him halfway to Kiba's, a bowl of noodles in his hand.

"Nothing, important. I needed it to sneak the tequila out." He removed the bottle and stashed the bag behind the soba stand. He'd pick it up later.

"So, this is it, huh? Your chance to really impress her. You know, if you play your cards right you might walk out with a girlfriend." Chouji nudged him in the ribs.

"Yeah, I know. I'm trying not to think about it."

x.x.x.x.x.x.

Shikamaru and Chouji arrived to the party that was already well underway. They could hear the music blasting from outside the door. Kiba greeted them, shirtless, for some unknown reason.

"Glad you guys could make it. Beer's in the kitchen and the there's a keg out back with like, a shit ton of pizza if you want any. Make yourselves at home, just don't break anything." Kiba melted back into the crowd of people.

"Good luck, man." Chouji gave him a slap on the back and stepped forward.

"Where are you going?"

The large boy shrugged and continued walking, "Around. Hey, don't you have a present to deliver?" He sent a grin over his shoulder.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and plunged in. He passed through the hallway, towards the swarm dancing in the living room. The subwoofers vibrated through his body, that erratic beat of 'Get Buck in Here' thumping in his chest, almost _too_ loud. Kiba did have a badass Bose sound system, he had to admit. The living room wasn't especially large, and way too many people were already trying to fit it in. Shikamaru stayed back and scanned the crowd. He saw Tenten; her long brown hair down and swinging. She was dancing with Kiba, dropping it down low and coming back up slowly against him. Who knew she could dance like _that_?

Shikamaru resumed his search. Through the mass, he glimpsed a blonde-headed girl leaving the floor. He cut his way through the writhing crowd and followed her into the kitchen.

"Ino."

"Shikamaru!", she turned, blonde hair spilling down her back and catching the light. She was wearing tight faded jeans, tan boots with fur and a white halter top that rose barely above her navel. Shikamaru was stuck in mid-action of handing her the bottle of Patrón, mind utterly blank.

"…you ok?" She cocked her head to the side, her voice like water.

He snapped out of it, "Yeah, uhhh, Y-you look great."

"Thanks," she giggled, leaning against the counter.

"I brought you something." He handed her the bottle.

"You're so sweet, Shika, thank you."

She grabbed two empty shot glasses from the counter and opened the bottle.

"You ever have tequila?"

"Nope."

"Oh, you're in for a treat." She poured them each a shot.

Shikamaru picked up his glass, the clear liquid swimming in the bottom like a drowning pool. He sniffed the slightly citrus fluid.

"You have to drink it all down, ready?" She held the glass to her lips, Shikamaru mimicked her.

"Cheers."

He tipped it back and swallowed. The tequila went down smooth with a little after bite, staining his tongue with the taste.

"Not bad."

"You want another?" Ino grinned at him and Shikamaru could've sworn he saw the devil tugging at the corners of her lips.

"One more."

x.x.x.x.x.x.

"How's it going, guys?" A boy in a black hoodie slithered up beside Shikamaru and snatched a can of Miller from the fridge. Popping it open, he took a sip, careful not to swear his purple lipstick.

"Good, Kankuro, and yourself?"

"I'm always good," Under his pale and purple make-up, his eyes darted back and forth between Ino and Shikamaru, "You both enjoying the party?"

"Yeah."

Shikamaru was on his third shot with Ino and he had been working up the nerve to ask her when Kankuro showed up. To be honest, he was wary of the visiting sand siblings. They were a little… rough around the edges, so to speak. Especially, the youngest one, Gaara. That kid creeped the hell out of Shikamaru. He looked like a cross between a damn wannabe punk and insomniac crack baby.

"Well, if you really want to get things started, I could hook you guys up." He pulled from his pockets a small plastic bag filled with white powder, "You ever dipped into this shit? Ice is a mean bitch, but she'll give you one hell of a ride."

"No thanks, man. Meth isn't my thing." Shikamaru reclined against the counter, hoping he pulled off the casual look with ease.

"What about you, missy; your nose need a little powder?" Kankuro said, sugary sweet with a twinge of mockery on the top. Ino rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Ok, but if you guys change your minds, I'll be by the pool." He winked and retreated through the sliding glass door to the outside.

No sooner had he left, then Kiba passed them by, seizing a beer and exiting to the backyard. He ripped the pop top off and guzzled as much as he could, then climbed on a white lawn chair.

"HEY EVERYBODY! I HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Someone shut off the music and everyone turned to look outside. Ino polished off another shot and took Shikamaru's arm.

"Let's see what's up." She led him into the backyard.

Kiba finished off the rest of his drink, some of it missing his mouth and spilling down his throat. The aluminum can crumpled easily between his palms and fell to the ground, amid all the other litter. Once he had everyone's attention, Kiba stepped down from the chair. He turned around and walked up to the small group that was congregating near the edge of the pool.

"WET T-SHIRT CONTEST!" He screamed as he wrapped his arms around Tenten's waist and jumped into the pool, dragging her with him. Tenten shrieked right before she hit the water. There was dead silence until they both came up for air, then the crowd burst into cheers. Some other guys followed suit and latched onto whatever girl happened to be close and dived into the pool.

Tenten swam to the pool ladder and scrambled up it, "That was _not_ funny, Kiba. This is a brand new shirt." she fumed, mascara leaking down her cheeks like obsidian tears. He clambered up the ladder after her.

"I think you look better in it wet."

Tenten whirled on him and shoved him forcefully back into the pool, "I hope you fucking drown!"

x.x.x.x.x.x.

Ino and Sakura escorted Tenten to the bathroom. After a few minutes, Ino returned, saying Tenten was fine, she just needed time to cool off.

"So, where were we before all these interruptions? Oh, yes… I remember, we were just about to dance." Pupiless blue eyes narrowed on him like a suspect.

"No…I don't dance."

"No, no, no. I wasn't asking if you would dance with me; I was _telling_ you to dance with me."

Shikamaru laughed.

"Come on." Ino brushed her fingers along his forearm. It sent a shudder through him, but he didn't show it. Why did she have to be so persuasive? That innocent face was irresistible. He opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment Sakura ran up to them.

"Ino! You'll never guess who just got here." The rose-haired girl clasped Ino's hand.

"Who?"

"Sasuke!" she squeaked.

Ino gasped, "He's here? He hardly ever goes to parties."

"I know, right? But he's here now, let's go." She tugged on her arm.

From the other side of the living room, Shikamaru caught sight of him, walking evenly through the floor like it was the Red Sea. He strolled over to an unoccupied couch and sat, taking the beer Lee offered him.

Sasuke _fucking_ Uchiha.

The tequila didn't taste so smooth anymore. It burned in his belly, smoldering and seething like acid.

Ino looked back at Shikamaru, "Hey, is it cool if I catch you later?"

"Sure."

"Thanks again for the Patrón, Shika." She gave him a one-armed hug and dashed off with Sakura. He watched them drop down on the couch near Sasuke, along with a handful of other girls. Sasuke regarded them absently and continued his conversation with Lee. Shikamaru grabbed a barstool and made himself a permanent spot in the kitchen.

If there was one person he loathed, it was Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke and his serrated black hair and eyes, wearing his black clothes like some fucking emo kid. He treated everyone like they were below him because he was an Uchiha, possessor of a bloodline limit, an _elitist_. The golden boy in class who all the girls idolized. And seeing him sitting there, with Ino and Sakura hanging off his every word like they were diamonds made him sick. He couldn't wrap his head around what it was that had girls attracted to him. He acted like he didn't even _like_ girls, like they were so irritating and worthless to him. He pushed them to the side and ignored them and they still followed him around like puppies. Shikamaru couldn't understand it.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

He sipped on the tequila and tried to not look at Sasuke and his entourage. But no matter what he focused his gaze on, his peripherals kept slipping back. Chouji was outside playing poker with Naruto and Neji. He thought about joining him, but Naruto made it very clear last time that he never wanted to play betting games with Shikamaru ever again.

Shikamaru noticed movement from the couch, Sasuke had gotten up and was walking towards the kitchen. He passed by Shikamaru and opened the fridge, pausing to consider his options. He selected a bottle of Miller genuine draft.

"What's your problem?" He stared at Shikamaru and used his belt buckle to pop the cap off the bottle.

"What?"

"You've been giving me the stank eye since I came in." Black eyes cool, but fixed on his, "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah. I need you to get the fuck away from me." Shikamaru wasn't in the mood to put up with Sasuke's bullshit.

"Somebody's having a bad day."

"Yeah, well, it was fine before you showed up."

"Awww. Did you get cockblocked, Shikamaru?" He took a sip of his beer and leaned in.

"Fuck off, Sasuke."

"So, I was right. Let's see who _was_ the lucky lady…" Sasuke turned back to the couch and made a show of evaluating the options, "Hmmm… no…oh, wait, nope not that one... I know… Ino." His mouth stretched into a wide, wicked grin, "She's not too bad, I guess. Dressed pretty good tonight, I think she's looking for me to give it to her."

Shikamaru gritted his teeth, "Like you would. You don't give two shits about any of the girls you're with; you treat 'em like they're a fucking ghost."

"Why should I care about them? They're all the same, Ino's just like every other bleach blonde bunny bitch I meet."

"You're a real prick, you know that?" His fingers itched to be around Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke chuckled, "You want to know something, Shikamaru? I can go anywhere, and I have ladies lining up for me. I can have my pick of anyone here. I can go back to the couch and ask any of the girls, even if I don't know her name, to suck me off and guess what? She'll do it. I'm on a completely different planet than you, you have no idea. Oh, and in case nobody ever explained it to you, Shikamaru, I will. You see, girls like Ino don't want boys like you, why would they? You don't even show up on their radar and that's not because of anything I did. So stop pushing your bitch problems off on me just because some chick isn't interested in getting porked by a fucking geek."

Sasuke left him at that and returned to the couch, taking a seat next to Ino. He had his hand on her thigh as he whispered something in her ear; she giggled playfully. Shikamaru pictured a slow-moving bullet tracking its way to Sasuke and grinding into his forehead, directly between his eyes. Drilling its way down, shooting out pieces of bone and brain fragments, as bright red blood erupted like Mount Vesuvius. It calmed him a little, but he still couldn't hang around and watch them.

He got up and took a few beers with him as he headed outside. He spotted an abandoned folding chair to plop down in as he nursed his beer.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Asked a girl as she sauntered up beside him, arms akimbo. She had medium length sandy hair pulled back and fierce eyes. Shikamaru recognized her as Temari; the oldest of the sand nin trio.

"…getting drunk."

"All by yourself, isn't that a little boring?"

"I'm fine with it." Shikamaru opened another beer and offered it to her, "What are _you_ doing out here?"

She took the beer from him, "I'm a little bored of the dancing so I came looking for something to interest me and I found your private pity party."

Shikamaru scowled at her, who was she to say he was throwing a pity party?

"So, what's the story?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to get away from everybody."

"Well, I know a place that's better than this," She gestured at all the loud people carrying on around the pool, "Come on." She held out her hand to help him up, he took it and stood a little uneasily. His brain felt a little too loose for his skull.

"You ok?"

"I'm good."

She led him right by the couch Sasuke inhabited; Shikamaru didn't spare a glance. He just blindly trailed Temari as she tugged him through the crowd, up the stairs and into a bedroom.

Shikamaru laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He heard her shut the door and felt the mattress move as she sat beside him.

"You having a bad day or something like that?"

"…something like that." He mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, I got something that'll make you forget about it." He felt the mattress move again.

"Here, sit up."

He did as instructed. She pulled a little bag from her purse and spilt its white powdery contents on the bedside dresser. Using a piece of paper she filed it into four lines, then she rolled the paper up like a straw and handed it to him.

"This will make it all better. You won't even remember your troubles."

Shikamaru paused, more than a little nerved out by the situation. Temari sensed his unease. She took the straw back from him and snorted a line.

"See? Nothing to worry about. It's just a pick-me-up when you've had a hard day, that's all. You'll like it, I promise."

Shikamaru thought back to what happened downstairs and his body seared at Sasuke's words. He wanted to put that behind him and never think of it again. He took the straw back and snorted a line off the table through his right nostril and then his left. He sat back; sinuses burning and eyes watering as Temari took the last one.

It didn't take long, a few minutes maybe, before he felt it sweep over him like a tide and drag him out. He heard Temari's voice in his ear, but it felt miles away.

"How do you feel?" Her voice was wind and water that danced in his head.

"Good," He fell back onto the bed, laughing. "Really fucking good."

Temari laughed too and fell beside him, her hands roamed up his body as if searching for something. He didn't stop her; not even when she moved closer and covered his mouth with hers. Her tongue breached his mouth and she tangled her hands in his hair. Shikamaru did the same and closed his eyes and imagined she had longer hair that was a little more blonde and eyes that were a little lighter blue.

Shikamaru felt like nothing before, like it'd lift him up till he would break. He hit vertigo and kept spiraling. Temari pulled away and removed her shirt and Shikamaru knew he should go; but he didn't. Instead he sat there as she got undressed and then helped him get undressed. She told him all the things that were in her head, all the things she wanted to do and how he made her feel as he licked her neck and pressed against her, and Shikamaru didn't say anything.

He touched her and she bloomed beneath him, wildflowers in radiant violet and maroon. Her skin felt like a supernova in his hand and he was so sure her fire would burn, burn, burn his body up into a diamond stone. He let go and it consumed him, he moved; and it moved with him. Shikamaru made it as fast and sweet and oh so smooth as she wanted.

Temari cried out his name, and it pulled him back and lower to the ground. He opened his eyes and the flame flickered and died because no matter how hard he tried, it wasn't Ino beneath him and he knew any other would just be a substitute. He kissed her and tried to bury himself but he just couldn't get off. He moved faster and faster, not caring if she enjoyed it. Harder and harder, he wanted it to be over.

Finally, he finished and rolled off her. Panting, he reclined beside her and didn't say a word.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

"Shikamaru?"

There was a knock at the door. Shikamaru didn't remember falling asleep but the noise startled him awake. There was a little bit of panic as he tried to figure out where he was, then the previous night came slamming into him with his hangover. He looked over to Temari, she was still passed out. Warily, he got off the bed and put his clothes on. He silently exited and shut the door behind him.

Chouji was down the hall knocking on doors and asking for him. He caught up to his friend.

"I was beginning to think you left without me. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah." He put a hand out to steady him against the wall.

"Shika?" Chouji helped steady him.

He felt like shit. A pounding headache and crippling nausea wracked his body. And if he wasn't in such bad of shape he would have slammed his head through the fucking wall for doing the stupidest thing in his life. He had checked while he was dressing, just to be sure, even though he knew. He knew it last night too but for some reason didn't care; that part of his brain must have fried up with the meth.

He'd fucked Temari without a condom.

"Are you ok?" Chouji asked him.

"Just fine."

He'd never lied more in his life.

x.x.x.x.x.x.

EnD


End file.
